


The more they stay the same

by WeirdV



Series: And so life goes on [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: BAMF Stiles, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing Boys, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, a lot of fluff, family life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:21:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24996784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeirdV/pseuds/WeirdV
Summary: “It’s strange though” Stiles admits to Derek that night,  “It’s not what I imagined it would be. I always imagines being younger when I joined the FBI.”“Why didn’t you though? I know you’ve had offers.”“I’m not sure” he shrugs, “I got comfortable, I guess. I got scared of trying new things without you. Every new thing we’ve done the past 20 years has been together. Buying a house, starting a family, getting on that adoption list. All those things were new and scary, but I had you with me. Even becoming the sheriff, my dad was there to guide me, you were always here to calm me down or bring be back from the edge after a hard day.”“I’ll still be here to calm you down” Derek says, placing his hand on Stiles’ heart, “Whenever you need me.”“I know” he sighs, “It’s just – these cases are going to be way more horrific than what I’ve been dealing with so far. What if – what if you can’t bring me back from the edge?”“Then we’ll get a therapist” Derek says easily, “Because I don’t plan on losing you. Ever.”
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Scott McCall/Kira Yukimura
Series: And so life goes on [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1172672
Comments: 13
Kudos: 104





	The more they stay the same

**Author's Note:**

> This one picks up where the last one left off, Stiles starts his new job at the FBI.  
> And it asks for some adjustments from his family.

Stiles is nervous for his first day. Being in the FBI has been his dream for years. He did an internship there when he was fresh out of college, but then his dad started talking about retirement and he couldn’t leave his town behind. And then he and Derek found their house, and Evan showed up in their lives, and then suddenly he was 30 with two kids and sheriff in his town.

Not that he ever had any regrets, not then and not later. But starting at the FBI as a 45 year old father of four kids, well, it was not how he planned it to be back when he was in college.

He parks his car in the parking lot of the building he was asked to go, and registers at the front desk. His new boss shows up five minutes later, and it’s a strange feeling not being his own boss anymore.

He’d agreed to a trial period, and Parrish was taking over as interim for the next three months.

“Good morning” the man smiles at him, “Hope you had a good commute?”

“Definitely longer than I’m used to” he says, following him into a small office, “It’s going to be strange having to report back to someone though.”

“I can imagine, after being a sheriff for so long” agent Reid replies, “You know, we’ve been trying to get you in here for a few years now.”

“I know” he smiles weakly, “It was a nice ego boost every year to get that request.”

“What took you so long?” he asks, Stiles shrugs.

“Four young kids, a partner who was already working away from home for long periods of time – wasn’t really manageable!” he explains, “We had a long talk before I agreed to take this job. That’s why I decided to come on for a trial period.”

“Well, we are glad to have you” he says as they walk through the office and into a conference room. There’s a table surrounded by his new colleagues, who immediately look up at him and take him in.

“This is our team” he says, “Miss Penelope Garcia, Jennifer Jareau, agent Prentiss, agent Rossi, and agent Luke Alviz.”

“Guys, this is Mieczyslaw Stilinski” he says, causing Stiles to cringe.

“Oh dear, I go by Stiles” he quickly interjects, “Haven’t used that name since I was six years old.”

“Well, that’s definitely easier to pronounce” Garcia replies, “Nice to meet you.”

“You too” he smiles politely, nodding towards the screen with several pictures pinned on them, “That the new case?”.

There’s a confirmation and he takes a step closer to check out the picture of the victim, “What’s that?” he asks, Luke frowns at him.

“What’s what?” he asks, watching as Stiles points at the victim’s right eye.

“His eye, the corner – that” he says.

“Why are you asking?” Reid asks, “There’s nothing about it in the coroner’s report.”

“I had a victim a few years back” he said, “Committed suicide but didn’t want it to look like it – needed the insurance money to get out of debt. Wanted to give her kid a good life, you know. She interjected something into her eye, pulled the eyelid up. Hurt like hell, according to my Medical Examiner. It kinda looked like that.”

“I’ll have the ME check it out” Garcia replies, already sending off an email and several text messages.

“The other two victims have the same thing” Prentiss notices, “You have a good eye – why haven’t we snatched you up earlier?”

“I’ve been busy keeping my own town safe” he smiles, taking the empty seat next to Garcia, “But you know, this seems like fun. Maybe I’ll stick around for a bit.”

[…]

“So – how was your first day?” Derek asks, as he hands his husband a bowl of soup.

“It was pretty fun, if I’m honest” he smiles, “Helped track down a bad guy.”

He glances at Scotty, who’s already eating his soup and listening intently to his dad. Taylor and Claws aren’t paying any attention to him, too busy discussing some TV-show they both started getting into.

“I’m glad you like it” Derek says, “Maybe it’ll work out. What kind of schedule are you on right now?”

“I have to be there every day except Wednesday when I give the guest lecture at the college.”

“So you can drop the kids off at school with me before going to the college” he says, smiling, “That’s kind of nice.”

“Yeah” he agrees, helping clear the table as he asks Claudia to help out loading the dishwasher.

“It’s strange though” Stiles admits to Derek that night, when they’re in bed together and the kids have gone to sleep, “It’s not what I imagined it would be. I always imagines being younger when I joined the FBI.”

“You’re still young, babe” Derek mutters, kissing his temple, “Why didn’t you though? I know you’ve had offers before.”

“I’m not sure” he shrugs, “I got comfortable, I guess. I got scared of trying new things without you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I – every new thing we’ve done the past 20 years has been together. Buying a house, starting a family, getting on that adoption list. All those things were new and scary, but I had you with me. Even becoming the sheriff, my dad was there to guide me, you were always here to calm me down or bring be back from the edge after a hard day.”

“I’ll still be here to calm you down” Derek says, placing his hand on Stiles’ heart, “Whenever you need me.”

“I know” he sighs, “It’s just – these cases are going to be way more horrific than what I’ve been dealing with so far. What if – what if you can’t bring me back from the edge?”

“Then we’ll get a therapist” Derek says easily, “Because I don’t plan on losing you. Ever.”

“You, Derek Hale Stilinski, are absolutely perfect” Stiles says, pulling his husband in for a passionate kiss, “How did I get so lucky.”

“A well-aimed tackle” he grins, returning the kiss.

[…]

“I don’t know Evs, dad really seems to like this new job” Claudia tells him through the phone, “Did you see the last case he worked on?”

“That serial killer?” he asks, “Yeah – it’s kind of scary.”

“He’s often home late – he’s working during the weekend – I barely even see him anymore” Claudia says, “I – I miss him?”

“You can’t tell him – it’s his dream job” Evan says, “We can’t tell him to come home.”

“I know” she sighs again, “I woke up last night and I found him in the office, going through the files of his current case.”

“How is dad acting about this?” he asks his sister.

“He looks – lonely?” she says uncertainly, “Suddenly way more interested in our lives.”

“More interested than he already was?” Evan asks.

“Evs, he asked about my bowl movement last week” she says, “That’s a step too far!”

“Oh dear – okay – you know what” he takes a deep breath, “I’ll try and talk to him when he’s here for his lecture.”

“Okay” she says, “Thanks for the talk, bro. I needed this.”

“Anytime, sis” he says, “Gotta go – study group is in fifteen and I still have to gather my books.”

“Okay – see you this weekend.”

[…]

Derek isn’t going to tell him. He’s always been the suffering in silence kind of guy. But god, does he miss his husband. The thing is, Stiles is happy. He talks about this job with such passion and love, he talks about how he feels like he’s helping people and making a difference on a bigger scale. And Derek knows he’s going to stay, he just – _knows_ , and how can he ask him not to?

[…]

“Okay – so – wheels up in an hour” Reid says, and Stiles freezes.

“What?” he asks, “Why?”

“We’re going to Pennsylvania – for the case” he says, sounding a bit uncertain at Stiles reaction.

“Uh – yeah – I can’t do that” he says, getting up, “Oh god. What was I thinking?”

He rubs his eyes, looking at his watch, it’s 10pm.

“Excuse me?” Prentiss frowns at him.

“I’m too old for this” he says, shaking his head, “I can’t just – get up and leave!”

“Why not?”

“I’ve got my kids at home – I need to get Scotty to lacrosse tomorrow morning, and Taylor has book club – sure, Claudia can take her bike – but she punctured her tire and I promised to help her fix it. I can’t just- leave.”

“I’m sure your wife can fill in” Luke says, gathering his files into a messenger bag.

“Husband” Stiles corrects him, “My husband, who I haven’t kissed good night in – holy crap. You know what – I love this job. It was a dream, getting to have this chance. And maybe, if I was still 28, it would have been different. But right now – I just want to go home. I’m sorry guys – I quit.”

“Wait – but you’ve. You’ve helped crack so many cases” Garcia says, “You’re a genius.”

“Maybe” he shrugs, “But I haven’t had a full night sleep in weeks. You need fresh eyes on anything, feel free to stop by. But right now – I’m gonna go home, and return to my sheriff’s office. It was nice to meet you all. You’re always welcome for dinner. I’ll hand in my letter of resignation in the morning.”

And with that, he leaves.

[…]

So maybe he forgets to tell Derek, and maybe Derek does a double take on Monday morning when he walks into the kitchen and sees his husband sitting at the kitchen table wearing his sheriff’s uniform.

“Uh – did I miss something?” he asks, still standing frozen in the doorway.

“Oh – yeah. I figured the FBI wasn’t really for me after all” he says, “Don’t get me wrong, I love the job. But I feared I might have to end up paying a price I wasn’t willing to pay.”

“What price?”

“You, Derek” he says, “I didn’t even realize – and of course you were being too stubborn to tell me – that I was neglecting you. I didn’t realize until they told me to get on a plane to Pennsylvania for a case.”

“Oh” he says, taking two large steps towards his husband and sweeping him into a passionate kiss.

“Eww” Claudia says, “Keep it for the bedroom.”

Derek releases Stiles and they laugh, and then Claudia notices the uniform.

“You – you’re back?” she asks, Stiles nods and she tackles him into a hug, “Thank fuck.”

“Oh, honey” he says, pulling his daughter into a tight hug.

“I really missed you” she mumbles into his shoulder as he kisses the top of her head.

“I missed you too, darling” he says, “I was a bit blinded by the glitz and glamour of solving crime – but it doesn’t even compare to this.”

Taylor and Scotty are the next two to come and hug him, “I’m really happy you’re staying home, daddy” Scotty says, “Now you can tuck me in again.”

“And help me pick out books to read” Taylor says, as Stiles kisses his kids on the top of their head, pulling them in tight and trying to remember the last time he hugged them like this.

Jordan greets him the same way when he gets to the station that morning, although he doesn’t get a kiss on the top of his head.

“Thank god you’re back” he says, “I’m definitely not ready for this yet.”

“It’s good to be back” he says, as Jordan leads him into his office, they put up a _welcome back sheriff_ banner, and he can’t help but smile at that.

“So – catch me up. What did I miss?”

[…]

“Okay” Stiles says, looking at his kids sitting around the dinner table, Derek sitting across him, “We have some news.”

“Yes” Derek smiles, “About Christmas break.”

“Okay” Evan says, “What is it?”

“We booked a trip” Derek says.

“For all of us” Stiles says, “It’s just a week – but we’re going to Italy.”

“For real?” Taylor asks, they both nod and Claudia and Scotty grin.

“For real” Derek says, “We booked a hotelroom, close to the beach – Stiles is already working on an itinerary.”

“We scheduled a late flight, so you can sleep on the plane and jetlag won’t be too bad. Hopefully.”

[…]

Stiles is busy wrapping up some files and paperwork before his family trip when there’s a knock on his door, when he looks up he’s surprised to see agent Reid standing there.

“Oh, hi” he smiles, “Come on in, how can I help you?”

“We’re working a case next town over” he says, “Thought I’d stop by to say hi.”

“Well, come on in” he says, gesturing towards his desk, “I’m just tying up some loose paperwork.”

Reid steps in, taking in the office of his former FBI colleague. There’s a banner above his desk, welcoming his back. There’s a framed article about some guy being the third hottest man in sports, a few pictures of kids, a selfie with him and the man from the article along with a newborn baby.

There’s a picture of a teenager holding up his high school diploma and grinning widely, a younger kid standing next to him and staring up at him. It’s an office filled with signs of a well lived life.

Apart from the personal pictures, there’s a few articles with his name in the headline, mostly local papers – announcing his reelection as sheriff, reporting that he managed to arrest a criminal, a few articles about the man he assumes is Stillinski’s husband.

“You know – when you said you quit, I didn’t quite get it at first” he says, “But I definitely understand now. You’ve got a pretty good life here.”

“Yeah” he smiles, “Okay, I think I’m ready. Want to go grab some coffee?”

“That sounds good” Reid says, but when he turns to leave the office his path is blocked by a young man.

“Hey, dad” the kid says, looking right past Reid, “Uhm – can we talk for a minute?”

“Is everything okay?” he asks, clearly concerned, “come on in. Uhm, Spencer, would you mind waiting in the hallway for a second? I’ll be right there.”

“Sure, no problem.”

The kid walks into the office and closes the door behind him, he can see them talking, and then Stiles hugs him tightly.

They exit the office together, “Don’t worry, okay. I’ll talk to Derek about it.”

“You think he’ll be mad?” he asks uncertainly, wringing his hands together.

“Of course not. He just wants you to be happy, you know that. Besides, I’ve got my ways of making him see reason” he says, winking at his son.

“Ew, gross” he laughs, giving his father a slight shove.

“You joining us for dinner? We can give you a ride to school in the morning” he says, the boy nods, “You can invite Rosalie if you want.”

“Ugh, shut up” the boy blushes, “I’ll see you tonight, thanks dad.”

He waves goodbye and leaves.

“Everything okay?” Reid asks, nodding towards Stiles’ son.

“Oh yeah, he’s just nervous” he smiles, “He wants to change his major, and he’s not sure how Derek is going to react.”

“What does he want to study?” Reid asks, following Stilinski towards the coffee machine.

“Psychology” he smiles, “Says he’s been trying to find what he wants to do, and what he wants to do is help other people. Wants to work with drug addicts and help them get clean.”

“That’s very specific” Reid says, taking the coffee handed to him.

“Yeah” he nods, leading them both outside towards the small park across the sheriff’s station, “I’m not surprised though.”

“How come?”

“His birthmother was a drug addict” he explains, “dropped him off at the police station – Derek and I took him in. Looked for his family for a while, without success, and then started the adoption process.”

“Derek is your husband, right?” he asks, Stiles nods, “How long have you been together?”

“28 years in August” he smiles, “married for 22.”

“Wow”

“You’re welcome to join us for dinner, you know” he says, “I’m sure Derek would like to meet you. And my daughters will probably have a million questions for you.”

“I’ll think about it” he says, “Now – uhm. I might have some ulterior motives with my visit.”

“I suspected” he smiles, “Show me the case – I’ll take a look.”

[…]

“So they decided to hire me as a consultant on the difficult cases” Stiles tells Derek, “I’ll get to stay here, and they’ll send me the case files and I’ll consult remotely. I’m quite excited about it, to be honest.”

“That’s amazing, babe” he says, smiling at his husband, “We should celebrate.”

“Oh, there’s something else. Evan came by today” he says, Derek frowns, “He is planning on changing his major. He asked me for advice, didn’t know how to tell you. He know you were so proud he was following in your footsteps, didn’t want to disappoint.”

“What does he want to do?” Derek asks, “Is it something that will give him a decent chance for a job after graduation?”

“Oh, yeah” he smiles, “Our son wants to be a therapist. Help get drug addicts clean. He’s looking into what he has to study to be a social worker.”

“You know – we got a pretty amazing kid” Derek says, “I’ll talk to him tonight. Let him know I’m proud of him no matter what he chooses to study.”

“Good”

“And I’m proud of you too” he adds, pulling his husband close for a kiss, “Whatever job you do. Because I know that you will always put our family first.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes I come back to this fic and read it again. Just can't let this one go, I guess.  
> The teen wolf reunion last week made me emotional and I rewatched season 6 this Sunday (I hadn't seen it since it came out, and only saw it the one time. It was better than I remembered it being, tbh)  
> They are reviving the local Teen Wolf convention in 2021. So I'll probably go.  
> But since my last post I got to meet Tyler Posey, who loved my triskele tattoo. And Melissa Ponzio. And my Teen Wolf obsession is strong as ever.
> 
> So anyways, here's a new chapter to this long ass story. Hope you like it.


End file.
